NFL Pleasers

by Dev Ops on

August 27, 2013

While most NFL bettors have heard of teaser betting, many are not aware of NFL pleasers. Pleasers are similar to teasers but instead of adding points to your side or total you subtract points. Obviously, due to this reversal of points, odds are much higher than those of teasers.

Pleasers originated with online sportsbooks years ago and were just a natural outcome of the immense popularity of NFL teasers. Are these bets profitable? What odds should bettors look for? I’ll answer these questions and more with our full breakdown of NFL pleasers.

Example of an NFL Pleaser

Like I mentioned above, a pleaser is essentially the opposite of a teaser. So, if you wanted to bet the San Francisco 49ers at -3 and the Oakland Raiders at +10, the spreads on a 7-point pleaser would then become San Francisco -10 and Oakland +3. However, instead of paying around 1/1 or even money like a 2-team teaser would, the bet instead would pay around 8/1. A substantial increase for sure, but then again, you are giving the sportsbooks 6 points to each side.

Let’s look at a 3-team example, with the original odds before the teaser, as well.

Original Odds

Pittsburgh Steelers -10
New York Giants +3.5
Jacksonville Jaguars +13

Updated with Pleaser Odds

Pittsburgh Steelers -17
New York Giants -4.5
Jacksonville Jaguars -6

A typical 7-point 3-team pleaser like this pays 8/1. Remember, totals can also be used as a leg of the bet. So, a $100 wager would have a potential return of $800. The same principle applies, if you wager Under 48 and Over 54, the bets will have 7 points added to each side, making the wagers Under 56 and Over 61, respectively.

If there is a push, the game reverts to one less team. For example, if one selection pushes in a 4-team teaser, it then becomes a 3-team bet. Payouts can get quite large compared to those of teasers – here’s the typical payout table.

Pleasers aren’t just available in 7 point form, but in 6, 6.5, as well. Some sites may even offer them past 7, at 7.5 and 8. Of course, the odds would adjust based on the number of points you are giving up, so the table above should only be used to evaluate your odds on 7-point wagers.

Are They Profitable?

For the most part, no. The house edge on pleasers ranges somewhere between 10-20 percent and is sometimes even higher. This edge increases as players increase the number of teams, so again, you should limit your selections to 2 or 3-teams. That does not mean you should never bet them, but that you should only do so when you feel your edge is strong enough to beat the large edge held by the sportsbooks.

Pleaser Betting Strategy

One of the times to consider betting a pleaser is when you feel the side or total listed by the oddsmakers is way off the mark. Of course, this situation is rare because the bookies consistently win against most bettors. Also, even though their opinion may be wrong on some games, it is usually not off by a large margin, like 6 or 7 points. Still, there are times when the oddsmakers totally miss the market.

I find myself occasionally betting pleasers a few times a year when I really love a game. Catching the sportsbooks with their proverbial “pants down” is not easy, but it can pay off enormously. Still, you should always bet the selections in your pleaser through straight wagers, as well.

If you end up losing both, that is a tough day, but often times you will win the straight wagers and lose the pleaser. This will help you recoup your losses. More importantly, you don’t want to miss out on betting a line you think that is a clear error by the oddsmakers. There’s plenty of variance with these bets, so it might be wise to lessen your bet size on these high odds wager. Perhaps, bet a half unit instead of your normal full unit.

One other strategy is to use pleasers as an alternative to money lines. This depends on the money lines offered and where the lines will be once you attach it to a pleaser bet. Since our 2-team bet pays 8/1, if the money lines combined pay less than this, it might be a solid option.

Anytime the odds fall between -3 and +3, it makes the play a little stronger. Fewer than 10 percent of all NFL games end by a margin of less than three points. Getting two or three teams that fall beneath this window could end up being quite profitable.

Pleasers have a high house edge, but are not impossible to beat if you are selective. However, realize that you likely will not be betting them each week because the oddsmakers don’t usually make large mistakes in the lines.

Best Sportsbooks for Pleasers

Not many sportsbooks offer pleasers these days, but one of the main US-facing sportsbook has them along with a plethora of options. 5Dimes Sportsbook offers them at 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, and 8. It is the best sportsbook around for pleasers and has the largest number of options. BetOnline is another decent option. BetDSI, a sportsbook we generally would not recommend due to payout issues are another choice.

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